Zhou Yuelong Loses to Noppon Saengkham in Snooker China Open Semifinals

The 2026 World Snooker Tour China Open reached its semifinals in Taiyuan, Shanxi, where China’s Zhou Yuelong bowed out in the semifinals following a tight 5:6 defeat against Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham on August 15, 2026. The tournament carries a top prize of £250,000 for the eventual champion.

Zhou Yuelong’s Path Through Taiyuan and the Semifinal Battle

Zhou’s run to the semifinals included several victories. He opened by defeating three-time world champion and Welsh player Mark Williams 6:3, followed by a 6:4 win against Liu Hongyu. In the quarterfinals, Zhou pulled off a comeback from a 0:3 deficit to defeat England’s David Gilbert 6:5.

In the semifinal clash, both competitors traded blows early on to end the first half tied at 2:2. Following the mid-session interval, Saengkham claimed two consecutive frames to move ahead 4:2. After the players split the next two frames, Saengkham reached match point first. Facing elimination, Zhou responded in the ninth frame with a long-pot opening leading to a break of 99, then added a break of 74 in the tenth frame to level the score at 5:5 and force a deciding frame. In the final frame, Saengkham secured victory with a decisive break of 134.

Zhou Yuelong reflected that both players made numerous mistakes and noted that although he fought back to the deciding frame, his opponent clinched it with a single-frame clearance, adding that Saengkham deserved the victory and he hoped he would perform well in the final.

Translated from the post-match remarks, Zhou noted that both sides made many errors and expressed that he managed to fight back to the decider, though his opponent played a frame-winning break and deserved the win.

Noppon Saengkham’s Run to the Final

World number 45 Noppon Saengkham advanced to the final following a series of victories. His campaign featured a 6:3 victory over world number one Judd Trump in the opening round, a 6:4 win against seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round, and a 6:4 defeat of Shaun Murphy in the subsequent round.

Noppon Saengkham shared that the pressure today was immense and there were quite a few mistakes, noting that this is the most important tournament of his professional career and he wanted to seize every opportunity.

Saengkham reflected on the pressure of the event, explaining that after ten years of playing professionally, he previously tended to collapse mentally following mistakes. He credited his ability to steady his mindset and make adjustments as the key factor behind his consecutive wins against world champions.

Championship Outlook and Next Opponent

This appearance marks the second ranking event final of Saengkham’s professional career as he pursues his maiden ranking title. He will face the winner of the second semifinal match between English players Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham.